3 Albums That Originally Flopped but Became Cult Classic Masterpieces in Retrospect

It always sucks for an artist when an album flops or doesn’t get as much commercial success as they anticipated. But sometimes, flopped albums become retrospective masterpieces. That’s the case for the following three records that became cult classics. Let’s take a look!

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‘Ram’ by Paul McCartney (1971)

I love this album. Sometimes “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey” will get stuck in my head for days, and I’m never too mad about it. So, I’m quite surprised that Ram didn’t get much love back when it was first released. Critics panned it, and Paul McCartney was notably disappointed that so many people disliked it. Nobody wants to hear words like “irrelevant” and “inconsequential” used to describe something they worked hard on. Thankfully, though, Ram has gotten a lot more retrospective love among younger listeners who have been discovering McCartney for the first time over the last decade or so. And if you listen to any indie music released in the 21st century, you’ll hear a touch of what McCartney was doing with Ram in 1971.

‘The Stooges’ by The Stooges (1969)

Few albums are as closely associated with punk rock before punk rock even existed quite like The Stooges’ debut album from 1969. This self-titled proto-punk masterpiece is an essential part of any vinyl collection, and songs like “I Wanna Be Your Dog” are absolutely legendary today. But when it first dropped, this record was kicked in the dirt by music critics at the time. But it was so ahead of its time that even their criticisms seemed to border on compliments. The Village Voice called it “stupid-rock at its best.” So close! Today, The Stooges is considered a landmark in punk rock history.

‘The Man Who Sold The World’ by David Bowie (1970)

This psychedelic rock record is such a good early David Bowie album. Unfortunately, despite getting somewhat decent reviews from US music critics, the album was a commercial failure in both the US and Bowie’s native UK. But in retrospect, this entry on our list of flopped albums that became masterpieces has gotten so much more praise for being a big part of the beginning of Bowie’s “classic” era. The Berlin trilogy of legendary albums would soon follow its release. I’ll chalk this iconic album’s failure up to the fact that it didn’t have any singles, and maybe it shouldn’t have been retitled without Bowie’s knowledge. This is one of Bowie’s most creative ventures in his career, without a doubt.

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